Help on a Sonic Blaster Build

Marve · Post by **Marve** » Sat Oct 15, 2011 2:59 pm

First post on this forum!
And only recently started using BASH! UE!! In anycase i got this villain named Jazz (Later to be developed into Resonance, more on that on a later post). Jazz is a mutant capable of emiting super sonic blasts from his body. However he is also capable of strengthening his powers after being exposed to super sonic, high pitched or very lowd sounds.

This was no problem i used this powers:
Sonic Blast 5 (special attack +x2 attack, +x3 damage; short line)6 pts

Sonic Boost 4 (special attack variable;Short Line;Linked(Sonic Blast);gradual) 7 pts

Sonic Immunity 3pts

Mind Boost 2 (only when using Sonic Blast) 2pts

I am playing on a Street Level campaign and he is supposed to be an average villain. So after all the powers, abilities, weaknesses and disadvantages i am left with 4 character pts. The problem is i have one more power i want to implented. Resonance. I picture it this way: Jazz is also able to enhance sounds around him to super sonic levels. This is partly represented by the Sonic Boost but there is another effect i wanted. If he hits an object with a tuning fork or similar device then he can enhance that sound but because that sound is resonating with the object then it would break more easily. Is there a way to implement that with 4 pts?

MrJupiter · Post by **MrJupiter** » Sat Oct 15, 2011 8:55 pm

Could you explain the Sonic Boost 4 power? It looks as though it is a sonic attack (with the Variable enhancement) that gradually gets stronger with each use of the character's Sonic Blast 5 power (because they are linked).

If that's the case, then:

1/ Both powers activate at the same time... every time (The sonic boost just takes a few pages to get up to full strength). That is one seriously powerful attack if the Variability is set to concentrate on damage!

2/ Assuming that Mind Blast is the weaker of the two linked powers, the total cost of both the Sonic Boost and Sonic Blast would be the 7 points (not 6pts + 7pts). This is because the most expensive power is the one that gets the Linked enhancement (which you have done) and the whole second power, the Sonic Blast, gets included for just that 2 point enhancement (as long as it’s the same total cost of the main power or less).

Also, the Sonic Immunity power should only cost you 1 character point.

Lastly, as for the Resonance idea, I’d probably build an attack with the Extra-Effect enhancement. Something like…

Resonating Attack: Special Attack 4 (+ x4 DM; 0 range).
>Extra Effect: does an additional x2 damage to structural objects – not characters
>Limit: must hit object with his tuning fork.

Post by **BASHMAN** » Sun Oct 16, 2011 4:46 am

You could easily add an enhancement on your regular attack that it has Extra Effect vs. inanimate objects.

I think you could save even more points, by putting the two attacks into a multi-power.

You could also use X-Mastery to represent the ability to just make sounds louder.

Marve · Post by **Marve** » Sun Oct 16, 2011 5:00 am

Thanks for the helpful reply!

The idea behind the Sonic Blast and Sonic Boost is this. I wanted him to be able to blast a sonic attack in general but he will only be able to beef it up after being exposed to super sonic,lowd or high pitched sounds (not including the ones he is emiting!), that is the linked gradual Sonic Boost.

Also if i understood correctly then the cost of the powers would be like so:
Sonic Blast 5 (special attack +x2 attack, +x3 damage; short line)6 pts

Sonic Boost 4 (special attack variable;Short Line;gradual) 5 pts

so i would link the one that costs more and it will be like so:

Sonic Blast 5 (special attack +x2 attack, +x3 damage; short line;Linked(Sonic Boost))8 pts

Sonic Boost 4 (special attack variable;Short Line;gradual) 0 pts

right?

BTW

I would like to post the charsheet for this guy, how do i do that?

MrJupiter · Post by **MrJupiter** » Sun Oct 16, 2011 1:47 pm

Okay, I think I understand how the power works now. Probably a simpler way to achieve the effect of generating a more powerful blast when the character is already in the presence of loud noise is by giving Sonic Blast the Extra Effect enhancement with the condition being that the extra 2 levels of damage are only achieved when blaring noise is already existent. In effect the character is borrowing some of the energy of that noise and channeling it through his blast.

Sonic Blast: Special Attack 5 (+2 multiplier to hit, +3 multiplier to damage; Short Line; Enhancement: Gradual; Enhancement: Extra Effect when very loud noise is present). [Cost: 7pts]

The Extra Effect option described above might not make as powerful a blast as you were intending though (+2 DM of the Extra Effect vs. the +1 to +4 gradually increasing Damage Multiplier). If you’d rather go with the Linked version, I’d attach the Situational limitation to the Sonic Boost so that it is clear that, even though this power always activates in conjunction with the Sonic Blast, it only has an effect (and a gradual one at that) when there is already loud noise present.

Sonic Blast: Special Attack 5 (+2 multiplier to hit, +3 multiplier to damage; Short Line; Enhancement: Gradual) Linked with…
>Sonic Boost: Special Attack 4 (Short Line; Enhancement: Variable; Limit: Gradual: Limit: Situational – requires the presence of very loud noise). [Cost: 8pts]

There is no extra point savings by having the second limitation but it helps to clarify to someone reading the power description that the noise condition exists. In the end, however, you will have a power that will really make your players run (with a +9 DM when you factor in the Mind Boost and the 4 pages needed to achieve maximum damage)! I could really see this villain steeling Doc Brown’s monstrous speakers (from the Back to the Future movie) to boost his sonic blast.

Marve · Post by **Marve** » Sun Oct 16, 2011 2:43 pm

Nailed it over the head Jupiter! awesome reply.

onic Blast: Special Attack 5 (+2 multiplier to hit, +3 multiplier to damage; Short Line; Enhancement: Gradual) Linked with…
>Sonic Boost: Special Attack 4 (Short Line; Enhancement: Variable; Limit: Gradual: Limit: Situational – requires the presence of very loud noise). [Cost: 8pts]

Why is there a gradual enhancement on the Sonic Blast? it doesn't get stronger with time the Boost does.

In the end, however, you will have a power that will really make your players run (with a +9 DM when you factor in the Mind Boost and the 4 pages needed to achieve maximum damage)! I could really see this villain steeling Doc Brown’s monstrous speakers (from the Back to the Future movie) to boost his sonic blast.

Yeah the great thing is however since his stats are B1A1M1 he doesn't have any defenses ,couple of good hits an he is down, but with other villains or minions he becomes a time bomb! He fits both parts of a lowly villain AND a dangerous powerhouse.

I still really want to upload his charsheet although i have no idea how to do it, i even had trouble uploading an avatar.

BTW
Thanks for posting BASHMAN!! It is just awesome and refreshing seeing a writer of a game posting so frequently on the forums.

MrJupiter · Post by **MrJupiter** » Sun Oct 16, 2011 8:30 pm

Marve wrote:Why is there a gradual enhancement on the Sonic Blast? it doesn't get stronger with time the Boost does.

Ummm. That wasn't supposed to be in there. Sorry.

It should have been:

MrJupiter wrote:Sonic Blast: Special Attack 5 (+2 multiplier to hit, +3 multiplier to damage; Short Line) Linked with…
>Sonic Boost: Special Attack 4 (Short Line; Enhancement: Variable; Limit: Gradual: Limit: Situational – requires the presence of very loud noise). [Cost: 7pts]

WaylanderPK · Post by **WaylanderPK** » Mon Oct 31, 2011 12:53 pm

I like the idea, might steal it for my silver age campaign

I think I'm having trouble with linking a special attack with a special attack. The target would get to roll soak twice, one for each attack. So in the end it would be better to boost the original attack and leave off the linked power.

I'd go with
Agility Boost 2 - only to hit
Mind Boost 2 - Only for sonic blast damage 2 pts
Mind Boost 2 - Only for sonic blast damage, only in presence of loud noise. 1pt
Sonic Blast 5 (x5DM, Short Line) 6pts
Immunity - Sonic Damage 1pt

This would give Jazz a base x7 attack and x9 in loud noise, or go for Mind Boost 4 - Only for Sonic Blast damage, Gradual, only in presence of loud noise 3pts, if you want to tone him down (pun intended), base x5 Damage that eventually climbs to x9, with only one soak roll, not two. I think it works out about one point more expensive.

As for the resonance power, sounds like weaken to me, you could lower the soak by -5 to the dice (if my memory serves me right, don't have the rule with me atm) so something like
Resonance - Weaken Brawn 5, only Soak rolls, 4pts.
You could stick that in a multipower with the special attack for a point.

I just use open office to make my character sheets, and the site http://fabricadeherois.blogspot.com/ for my costumes.
Heres a link to a character sheet in open office format (Open office is free to download)
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/23947446/doppelganger.odt

Theres also a topic on the forum covering this, but a quick search didn't turn it up for me. Maybe you'll have more luck.

WaylanderPK · Post by **WaylanderPK** » Mon Oct 31, 2011 1:05 pm

If your wondering how to upload, you can't. You have to place a link to your character sheet in the forum using the img tag {img}http://dl.dropbox.com/u/23947446/charac ... y.png{/img} - replacing curly brackets with square ones

Michael · Post by **Michael** » Wed Nov 02, 2011 6:31 pm

WaylanderPK,

Great points. A boost would fit the concept better and actually be more effective (and simpler). Boost has a maximum of 3 though, so I
would replace both boosts with:
Mind Boost 3 - Only for sonic blast damage, only in presence of loud noise. 2pts

For Singularity, I would consider putting some enhancements on his teleport and super speed slots, such as no concentration and not tiring, since it wouldn't cost him any more points.

WaylanderPK · Post by **WaylanderPK** » Wed Nov 02, 2011 8:09 pm

I'm always forgetting the 3 max on boost

Thanks for the tips on Singularity

MrJupiter · Post by **MrJupiter** » Wed Nov 02, 2011 8:31 pm

Michael wrote:WaylanderPK,

Great points. A boost would fit the concept better and actually be more effective (and simpler). Boost has a maximum of 3 though, so I
would replace both boosts with:
Mind Boost 3 - Only for sonic blast damage, only in presence of loud noise. 2pts

For Singularity, I would consider putting some enhancements on his teleport and super speed slots, such as no concentration and not tiring, since it wouldn't cost him any more points.

Again, the obvious escapes me! What an elegant solution to the problem - and so simple too. Thanks Michael.

Marve · Post by **Marve** » Fri Nov 04, 2011 3:31 am

That is an awesome option Waylander!! I will start working on the sheet. Expect a post soon!!